Week in Preview: January 20th

 

Tuesday January 20

 

Southport at Lawrence North 7:30

Two squads who saw their Marion County Tournament end earlier than they wanted. Lawrence North lost just their second game of the year to Warren Central on Wednesday, while Southport's undefeated season ended at the hands of Pike in a 4OT thriller in the semifinals. Pat Bacon is an attack minded guard capable of scoring or setting up his LN teammates, while Joey Brunk comes off a 32 point, 14 rebound effort against Pike for Southport.

 

 

 

Wednesday January 21

 

Carmel at Pike 7:30

Senior Ryan Cline (Purdue) and Keegan Culp (Air Force) bring their Carmel squad to Pike for a MIC clash. Pike has to be riding high off of their Marion County title from this past weekend. Playing well for the Red Devils has been sophomore guard Justin Roberts, who scored 20 against Ben Davis is the title game. Pike also has junior guard Justin Thomas and senior Ball State pledge Tahjai Teague. Carmel's backcourt will have to prove it can handle the quickness and pressure from the Pike guards.

 

 

 

Friday January 23

 

Barr Reeve at Wood Memorial 8:00

We go from huge 4A schools to this southern Indiana 1A slugfest. Barr Reeve Comes into the week ranked 4th in the state while Wood Memorial sits just outside the top ten in 11th. Barr Reeve is on a roll, having won their last four games by an average of 25 points per game. They are led by low post bruiser Addison Wagler and junior floor general Logan James. Wood Memorial is 8-0 against 1A and 2A schools on the year. Their top gun is 6'4 forward Conner Sevier, who has posted three double doubles in his last four games and comes in averaging 18.4 per night. Joining him is freshman Lathan Falls, who is shooting 44% from deep over his last four outings.

 

 

Bloomington South at Martinsville 7:30

Bragging rights along SR 37 are up for grabs Friday night as the Artesians play host to Bloomington South. South has one of the best freshmen in the state in wing Chance Coyle, but veterans Johnny Jager and Tucker Blackwell are the main attractions. The Panthers have won eight straight following a loss to Southport. Martinsville has an inside-outside threat in 6'8 junior Keegan Northern.

 

 

Logansport at Richmond 8:00

A long standing rivalry in the state could go a long way in deciding the North Central Conference title as Logansport heads east to take on conference leader Richmond. Carter Skaggs is a smooth shooting senior wing for Logansport, while sophomores Jalen Adaway (17.0pts, 7.7rbs) and Matt Jennings (16.1pts) head up the youth movement for the Berries. Richmond is 4-0 in NCC play, and the senior backcourt of Davious Webster and Green Bay commit Joel Okafor is a big reason for that. Each are averaging over 15 a night over their last six contests. Richmond hasn't lost since a December 5th game against North Central.

 

 

New Palestine at Roncalli 7:30

A matchup of high scoring senior guards pits New Pal's Ryan Curry (21.7) against Roncalli's Jimmy King (26.3). They might cancel each other out, meaning other players might have to step up, such as 6'5 forward Kevin Riley of New Pal or Roncalli's 6'0 guard Max Clifford. Both teams come in with respectable records, but are looking to begin the final drive towards sectional play with some momentum.

 

 

North Central at Lawrence North 7:30

A rematch of last week's opening round Marion County Tournament game that saw Lawrence North come away with a 61-57 victory. Pat Bacon had 16 for LN in that game while sophomore wing Kris Wilkes led North Central with 19. This game is vital in the MIC standings, as Lawrence North is still undefeated. North Central is 1-1 in conference, and a loss would almost surely take them out of championship contention.

 

 

 

 

Saturday January 24

 

Griffith at East Chicago Central 8:00

A region rumble that is definitely not short on talent, especially in the 2016 class. Griffith has 6'5 twins Anthony and Tremell Murphy in the junior class. Anthony is an athletic wing who has really improved his perimeter stroke and can be a defensive menace, while brother Tremell is a combo forward who has athleticism for days and is tough to stop around the rim. East Chicago has a fantastic junior of their own in Damien Jefferson. The 6'4 junior has put up great numbers this year. Griffith hasn't lost to an Indiana team this season, and is giving up less than 40 points a game. ECC averages 73 points a night, so something has to give in this matchup.

 

 

Merrillville at Noblesville 7:00

One of the best teams in Northwest Indiana heads to Hamilton County as Merrillville faces Noblesville. Merrillville is in the midst of a great turnaround, going from 4-16 last year to 11-2 currently this season. The main reason for that turnaround has been the play of junior guard DJ Wilkins. The 6'2 Wilkins struggled through last season after suffering an injury during football season, but he's healthy this year and playing well. Merrillville also is getting contributions from freshman point guard Zion Young. Noblesville under first year coach Brian McCauley is being led by junior forward John Kiser and the senior guard tandem of Jake Mills and Sean Wilson, both of whom are shooting over 43% from deep on the season. The Millers have struggled as of late, losing four of their last five games.

 

 

Brownsburg at Carmel 7:30

The top two shooting guards in the 2015 class square off as KJ Walton and Brownsburg travel to Carmel to face Ryan Cline and the Greyhounds. The pair do it in vastly different ways, as Walton is known for his explosive first step and ability to get to the foul line, while Cline is an expert marksman from behind the arc. This will be Carmel's third game in four nights, as they will face Pike on Wednesday and county rival Noblesville on Friday. The Greyhounds haven't lost since dropping a December 12th game to North Central. Brownsburg won the Hendricks County Tournament but lost to conference foe Fishers last week by a 55-51 score.